


turn around, bright eyes

by palmettto



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AFTG Valentine's Day Exchange 2019, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Friends to Lovers, Fuckboy!Neil, M/M, Pining!Andrew, andreil are the main characters here everyone else is just mentioned briefly, i mean fuckboy!neil loosely, if u squint u can see it, mentioned former andrew/roland but roland goes to their school i swear its not creepy, mentions of riko being an ass but nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-27 03:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17758685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/palmettto/pseuds/palmettto
Summary: Andrew would say, until the day he died, that his heart didn’t clench and quake when Neil dared to look at him like… likethatwhen he saw him. He didn’t acknowledge the way his eyes widened and his cheeks flushed, nor did he acknowledge his own body’s subtle responses.





	turn around, bright eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StickballShenanigans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StickballShenanigans/gifts).



> listen....... i had so much fun writing this because when i saw "high school au with fuck boi neil maybe? or high school au in general with any pairing" i. lost my shit. immediately. listen......... i went by this so loosely tho i thought i could write fuckboy neil better? than this? but it didnt happen and now this is where we are at. i am so sorry but i hope u enjoy it nonetheless!!!
> 
> big thanks and love to @sargents on tumblr for reading over this bitch and telling me to fix sum shit
> 
> anyways this is for the valentines day exchange for @aktari on tumblr (who i had to hunt down after having 5 collective heart attacks upon seeing 'moved' on their old acc) !!!

“Well, isn’t that interesting?”

Andrew raised his head with well contained and hidden interest, focusing his attention on none other than Neil Josten, resident ‘bad boy’ and overall mystery. The rumors around school spoke of homicide, arson, and mob families, which… if Andrew was being honest (he was), were all true. In simplistic terms, that was Neil’s life as far as Andrew knew, but it was far bigger than that and everyone’s thoughts were skewed and the details had gotten mixed up in the process of translation. 

Fortunately for Andrew, and perhaps unfortunately for Neil, Andrew had been around since Neil’s mobster uncle carried his scrawny ten-year-old self to the shitty, overly warm and sunny city. It was good that Andrew met him, he could admit that, especially given that Neil was as grounding for Andrew as Andrew was for Neil, but sometimes Andrew regretted being the one to dress his childhood friend. After all, that was one of his many, many issues with him.

Too focused on the ‘enigma’ and current object of his attention, Andrew had chosen not to respond to the obvious conversation-starter and to instead leave Neil to his own devices, which meant that the red-haired boy with too many scars and too little filter opened his mouth to continue. Andrew hadn’t even bothered trying to shut him up once he started.

“Riko’s back from that stupid college tour he went on,” he started, settling directly next to Andrew at the cafeteria table and dropping his tray down with a heavy _clack_ of plastic against what Andrew assumed was fake wood. “They’re probably as tired of him as we are, but I can’t help but wish they’d just kept him. His uncle works down there, so I don’t see why he doesn’t just move. But that’s not really what I was going to talk about. He’s back in _town_ , but not school. He made some stupid post about being back, which was dramatic as always.” Neil paused to scroll through his feed and show Andrew the post.

Andrew purposefully hadn’t mentioned the fact that Neil was using a new account to show him the post, likely because he’d been blocked by the very bitch he was deciding to gossip about.

“So, he gets all his friends anxious about his return--I swear Kevin looked like he was about to shit himself when he told me that Riko was back. Actually, Kevin was the only reason I found out. I think he’s worried about Jean,” Andrew could only assume Neil had paused in thought, though the idea didn’t entirely register thanks to the fact that Neil had his bottom lip sucked between his teeth. Andrew really, really would’ve liked to- to take a nice, cold shower sometime soon.

“Riko is leaving Kevin alone, right?” Andrew interrupted, maybe to keep Neil talking and maybe just to get a bit of information while he had his chance. Kevin had known Neil before Andrew had, or, well, he’d _met_ Neil before. Andrew had known him longer, since Kevin moved before Neil’s uncle could gather him and move him away from his childhood place.

Neil had also known Riko, and Riko had known Kevin. It was one big circular party, and Andrew was only involved with Kevin because Kevin needed someone to get Riko off his heels. Andrew didn’t much care for bullies, anyways.

“As far as my knowledge goes, yes. Allison didn’t have any gossip about what Riko did to him recently, so I’m going to have to assume that I’m right. Kevin wouldn’t have told me even if he did, though I imagine he would’ve told you.”

Andrew waved his hand through the air dismissively rather than responding. Kevin hadn’t texted, called, or even talked to Andrew at all about Riko, so he assumed that Riko had been leaving him alone.

“That’s all I’ve got in terms of news for now, but that’ll probably change,” Neil started to say around another bite of the apple Andrew had hardly noticed he’d been eating just as the first bell rang. It was only the start and Neil already had this much.

Andrew allowed himself to briefly wonder how Neil had collected all this information, though he figured it was because he always ran to the school in the mornings and arrived early. It wasn’t a problem that Neil hung out with other people. No, not at all. It was _fine._

When Andrew finally blinked his thoughts away, Neil was already gone with the remains of his meal. 

* * *

The next time Andrew saw Neil, he was surrounded by the usual crowd, his hands waving wildly and his expression bright. Andrew could only assume he was gossiping, which was his favorite pastime. Getting into everyone’s business was a hobby of his, yet he’d never tried to pry into Andrew’s.

He assumed it was because he already knew what he needed to.

“-seen Gorilla. He jumped right over the table and just came at me out of _nowhere!_ He was hella surprised when I ended up taking him down. He underestimates tiny people too much,” Neil was saying when Andrew finally came across the squadron of heart-eyed girls and tough looking boys. “We’re a lot stronger than we lo-Andrew!”

Andrew would say, until the day he died, that his heart didn’t clench and quake when Neil dared to look at him like… like _that_ when he saw him. He didn’t acknowledge the way his eyes widened and his cheeks flushed, nor did he acknowledge his own body’s subtle responses.

Andrew was attuned to Neil; he was supposed to be able find the tiny little changes, the ones that were signaling something good or something bad, but he could only hope Neil wasn’t the same way. Neil was too oblivious to pick up on the bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed, or the gritting of his teeth as he tried to contain himself.

Neil was too dumb to realize the effect he had on everyone. Including Andrew.

“Rabbit,” Andrew replied, not bothering to address the rest of the warm bodies pressed to Neil. The most he did was shoot them a glare to attempt to get them to leave, back off, and stay away from Neil, but it never seemed to work. Besides, Andrew was sure that Neil was close with some of the group. “Are you ready to go?”

Neil’s locker clicked shut with a tiny slam on the red head’s part, though Andrew wouldn’t mention it before he mentioned the blossoming bruise on his cheek, or the angry red of his knuckles.

“Yep,” Neil responded with a quick _pop_ of the p, quickly trailing after Andrew once he turned away and started heading off. The lunch lines were long and troubling, and Andrew would rather get there before the rest of the crowds did.

It wasn’t until they were sitting down with the rest of the Monster’s and Neil’s own friends--some of the other jocks Neil chose to interact with--that Andrew turned his lazy gaze onto his friend and chose to speak. “What happened to your face?”

“Fight with Gorilla. I’m sure you heard in the hall?”

“Some of it, yes.”

“Oh. It’s nothing big. I’m fine, and he looks worse than I do,” Neil decided to say, though Andrew didn’t want to hear that. Neil was _always_ fine. There were no bad days with him, which was decidedly stupid to Andrew.

“How did it happen?” Andrew asked instead of pushing, because he knew that trying and pushing and forcing Neil to speak would only end in chaos and hurt feelings. He learned that years ago, just as Neil learned how heavily Andrew weighed in on promises and ‘no’s.

“He was being an asshat.”

“Details, Neil.”

“He was talking about how Riko was a good person and that Jean and Kevin and everyone else deserved what he’s done.”

“He deserved it then. What’s he looking like?”

“He got sent off with a broken nose. And probably a bruised ego.”

Andrew nodded, fine with that subtle bit of information. Neil was _always_ talking, chatting, doing anything with his mouth that wasn’t kissing Andrew, yet when it came to himself he was mostly tight-lipped and quiet. It was a heavy shift and it was much too obvious for Andrew to miss. He hated how in tune he was with Neil.

He stuck a bland, poorly-salted fry into his mouth just as Neil turned to finish the rest of his meal. It was ridiculous, the way that Neil looked even from Andrew’s peripherals. He looked battle-worn and vicious, fully capable of holding his own. Rugged and with jagged pieces that Andrew could only hope fit against the ones he had, too. And yet, where Andrew was stone-cold and hard as a rock, Neil was bright eyed and happy, with wide and precious smiles and rosy (yet slightly bruised and scarred) cheeks.

The horrid school meal tasted like ash in his mouth, so he pushed it away. _Neil’s mouth would taste better,_ his mind unhelpfully supplied him just as the devil himself leaned against his side and set his head on his shoulder.

 _Friends,_ he reminded himself. Childhood friends, actually. That’s what they were. That’s all they’d ever be, because Neil had so many other people. The dates he went on with Naomi and Richard and Hailey. The stupid smirks he shot at everyone but Andrew that Andrew pretended not to notice because it made him want to kiss it off _too much, too much._

He also definitely _did not know_ about those stupid dates that Allison and Matt set up for him every now and then. Not at all. They didn’t exist.

Andrew hated how much he lied to himself. 

* * *

It’s not until a stupid party that Neil forced him to go to that things get skewed and blurry and the lines start to cross and fade. Neil told him ten minutes in, a glass in his hand, that the punch was spiked and that he was free to have some if he wanted it, but he wouldn’t be drinking anymore.

Fine. That was fine.

He took Neil’s cup and he sipped it from the same spot he knew Neil did while watching him dance with all the other people in the crowd. It was a mass of writhing bodies and thumping music and--this was Allison’s house, wasn’t it?

It was, and she had a roof. He downed the rest of the cup and its pink, overly fruity contents and, with one last look spared in Neil’s direction, disappeared.

He sat at the edge, though he didn’t allow his legs to dangle. The fear that coiled in the pit of his stomach wrestled with the alcohol he’d downed. He blinked and realized he’d left his cigarettes in his car. That sucked, didn’t it?

He could still hear the remnants of the thumping bass from his perch of the roof, but it was soon drowned out by the sound of the squeaky roof door opening to reveal the current object of his hatred.

Neil Josten looked surprisingly changed by the party, with a snapback perched over his head with loose curls peaking out. His pants rode low and his shirt was tight against his skin and Andrew--Andrew wished he hadn’t left his cigarettes in the car.

Neil settled next to him, though he failed to lean against him like he always did. There was no warm press of his head against Andrew’s shoulder, only a curious and confused blue gaze on the side of his face. A trigger of Andrew’s kneejerk, “Staring.”

There was more silence and more staring until Neil finally opened his mouth, which took longer than it should’ve because Neil was always talking. He swallowed and Andrew could hear it, but he could also vaguely hear the words that curled off his tongue. “Why does Roland think you’re holding me down?”

Andrew hadn’t realized Roland was there, nor that Roland was lacking the ability to remain silent when asked. It was a hard-fought battle, the one between his truths and his yearning to remain silent and lie, lie, lie. He wasn’t Josten, though. He wasn’t going to lie to him because he didn’t like the truth-- _hated_ the truth. He knew Neil knew about what he did with Roland, he’d told him.

Andrew didn’t respond, and Neil continued. “The other’s all thought it was funny. They were talking about--padded cuffs? Shouldn’t your boyfriend not be insinuating those kinds of things?”

“Roland isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Fuckbuddy, then. Friends with benefits. Whatever you want to call it.”

“Hookup.”

“Fine,” Neil said with a huff. “Whatever he is. You’d think he wouldn’t want to insinuate something like that if he wants to keep it going, no?”

“It ended months ago, Neil,” Andrew finally said, and he hated it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t have to tell you everything.”

There was a mutually held breath between them as everything slowed down and dragged on, heavy and thick and tense. Andrew wanted to rewind and tell Neil ‘no’ to the party, reject the offer. He wanted to spend the day in Neil’s house while his uncle was away and just talk like they used to, before things got complicated and messy because Neil was on dates and Andrew wanted to go on one.

“I know,” Neil said, a whisper of a breath that Andrew sucked in.

“I hate you,” Andrew said back, quietly, but roughly.

“I know,” Neil said again, and Andrew hated him a little more than he did a moment ago.

“Yes or no?” Andrew asked, and all it took was Neil’s ‘yes’ for him to lean forward and finally steal that kiss he’d been aching, yearning, hunting for since that sickening beat of his heart picked up for his friend.

Andrew almost backed off because Neil wasn’t moving, was frozen, but then Neil finally puffed out an ‘Oh’ between their lips and pressed back and--.

Maybe it was good that they came to the party, after all. 

* * *

If this were a book, Andrew would’ve laughed and thrown it out as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Riko moved to Virginia and into his home with his uncle. The college was closer, he’d said, but Andrew assumed it was for reasons other than that.

Jean moved too, after all was said and done. Well, he hadn’t moved, but rather, transferred schools. Last he heard from Kevin was that he was doing _great,_ with some sunshine boy that Kevin had met during a soccer match a few years back--Jeremy, he thinks.

Neil still hung out with all the freaks that Andrew couldn’t name, the same entourage following him to his locker, but now it was Andrew that got to push the locker closed with Neil’s body and a heady kiss. It was Andrew that showed up to his stupid matches and watched him play while wearing his jersey.

The shovel talk from his uncle was worth it in the end, especially when Neil kissed his forehead and his cheek and his lips and--.

Well, he couldn’t say he hated this.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u so much for reading!!!! u can always catch me @palmettto on tumblr!!! hopefully the next thing i will post will be my fuckin rbb sometime in march!! pls yell at me to write. but also yell at me in the comments and hit that lil heart button cuz we luv kudos


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